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Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Conservative and Libertarian Christians: Worldview Allies or Enemies?

I am so glad my colleague Norman Horn, founder and President of the
Libertarian Christian Institute (LCI), was given a chance to debate
well-known evangelical leader and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
President, Albert Mohler. Dr. Mohler has been outspoken in his opposition to libertarianism and the possibility of any compatibility between Christianity and libertarianism. This is the Libertarian Christian
Institute after all, so of course we would have a thing or two to say
about Dr. Mohler’s criticisms. The debate, hosted by Julie Roys on the Up For Debate radio program,
provided an outstanding opportunity to correct some misconceptions and
educate the listeners as to why LCI believes libertarianism is, in fact,
the most consistent expression of Christian political thought.

One reason I was so pleased to learn of the debate, in addition to
the increased exposure and educational opportunity brought about by the
high profiles of Dr. Mohler and the Moody Radio Network, is that Mohler
so closely represents the political views I held for most of my adult
life. In addition, I am presently very close to Dr. Mohler
theologically. Like Mohler, I am committed to Reformed soteriology and
am a member of the Evangelical Theological Society. Although I was not
raised a Southern Baptist, I have been a member of SBC churches for the
past several years. Mohler is very popular with my fellow evangelicals,
so I was hoping many of them would tune in and discover why they ought
to seriously consider libertarianism. As someone who is a
conservative-turned-libertarian I have a special affection for those who
still hold so many of the political views I once held.

The debate transpired on Saturday, March 5, 2016. You can listen to the audio here.
From the outset Dr. Horn was provided an opportunity to make a positive
case for Christian libertarianism. There were technical difficulties so
Julie Roys necessarily had to turn to Dr. Mohler who began to make his
case against libertarianism. Unfortunately, this allowed Mohler the
opportunity to frame the subject by casting libertarianism as a
political philosophy that radically exalts liberty as the good above all
other goods. How could individual liberty exist, he asked, as a good
unto itself? Later he criticized the alleged libertarian idea that human
liberty is the central exalted good that explains how other goods are
derived. Mohler charged that, politically, the main thrust of
libertarianism in America was expanding personal liberty at the expense
of the question of virtue. Over and against this deficient libertarian
worldview cast by Mohler, he explained that in a biblical
worldview the chief end of man is to know God, to worship Him, and enjoy
Him forever. He added we also demonstrate His glory and His good gifts
to us by living faithfully before Him.

So Dr. Mohler immediately portrayed libertarianism in a way that no
libertarian Christian would. Dr. Horn responded that we, of course,
along with Mohler agree with the Westminster Larger and Shorter
Catechisms regarding the chief end of man. We agree that liberty is not a
good unto itself. Of course it requires a moral framework. By no means
are we driven by expanding personal liberty at the expense of virtue.
Libertarianism, as we often say, is not libertinism. We are all
operating from a biblical worldview and it is unfair to categorize
libertarian Christians as operating outside of or contrary to a biblical
worldview.

Granted, depraved man seeks to use his liberty to pursue fleshly
desires so there will always be some libertarians who live accordingly.
As libertarian Christians, however, we understand that liberty
is not license. Just as we do not want to be characterized by those who
abuse their liberty, conservative Christians should not have to answer
for the immoral beliefs of all who claim the name conservative.

For example, according to one poll
a very high percentage of conservative Republicans consider actions
against suspected terrorists such as waterboarding, threatening to
sexually abuse a prisoner’s mother, forcing a prisoner to stay awake up
to 180 hours, and forced ice water baths to be torture. And yet, 7 in 10 Republicans think these actions are sometimes justified. Since about 50% of Republicans are highly religious
it would be very reasonable for me to make the claim that my
conservative brothers and sisters in Christ approve of torturing
suspected terrorists. In fact, “69% of white evangelicals believe the CIA treatment [the actions cited above] was justified, compared to just 20% who said it was not.”

A main thrust of conservative Christianity embraces national security
at the expense of the question of virtue, right? Making torture
compatible with “Christian,” is going to be a tremendous challenge.
Conservative Christians are associating themselves with a political
movement that, at the very least, is uncertain as to whether human
beings detained as suspected terrorists deserve protection. This is
where we understand that the whole idea of Christian conservatism breaks
down. (If you have listened to the interview, you can note that I am
using Dr. Mohler’s own words to critique Christian conservatism in the same manner as he did Christian libertarianism.)

Charitable discussion among fellow Christians ought to allow us to
concede that both conservative and libertarian Christians can hold a
Christian worldview. At the very least, we understand that our opponents
firmly believe that they hold to a Christian worldview. The
difference between conservative Christians and libertarian Christians is
a difference among Christians. Our divide is nothing like what we find in J. Gresham Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism:

“The Bible, to the Christian is not a burdensome law, but
the very Magna Carta of Christian liberty. It is no wonder, then, that
liberalism is totally different from Christianity, for the foundation is
different. Christianity is founded upon the Bible. It bases upon the
Bible both its thinking and its life. Liberalism on the other hand is
founded upon the shifting emotions of sinful men.”

Our foundation is the same. Our thinking and our living is based upon
Scripture and, I would add, particularly upon Jesus the Christ as
revealed in Scripture. But, as Dr. Horn pointed out, only a subset of a
Christian worldview deals with politics. The question is: how should Christians go about operating out of our comprehensive worldview when it comes to politics?

Libertarian Christians want individuals to embrace God’s will but the
way to pursue this end is by convincing others through moral
persuasion. This is the biblical approach. We proclaim, educate, and
plead but we don’t resort to legal coercion through the political
process. Just as we don’t coerce people to Christ, we don’t coerce them
into not smoking, drinking, or going with girls who do.

Dr. Mohler raised the crucial issue of abortion. There is no doubt
that atheistic or otherwise secular libertarians have a long history of
advocating pro-choice positions but this is not “the” libertarian
position. Libertarian philosophy does not require Christians to abandon
their pro-life convictions. I will not explore the non-aggression
principle (NAP) here but, briefly stated, the NAP states that people
should be allowed to do what they will so long as it they do not execute
aggression (initiate force) upon another person. Libertarian Christians
agree: the un-born baby is a person! A woman’s right to control her own
body does not permit her to commit aggression against the person within
her.

Mohler criticized the libertarian movement as being at best confused
over abortion and, at its extreme, arguing against any kind of mutual
obligation in this sense. But what of the conservative movement? The
vast majority of conservatives, for example, favor legal exemptions
allowing abortion in cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother.
Dr. Mohler would say that a biblical worldview would not allow for any
compromise on this matter of grave consequence. The larger set of
principles of morality that would inform Christians on this issue
affirms the obligation to protect life at all stages from conception
onward.

The conservative movement, of which Mohler is a part, clearly
compromises on this grave issue by favoring these exemptions. Mohler
said he wouldn’t want anything to do with a position that is unclear and
not absolutely certain that an unborn human being is indeed to be
protected and that aggression against an unborn human being is a matter
of gravest moral consequence. Isn’t conservatism a political movement
that is communicating uncertainty here? If the unborn human being is
actually a full person, why allow exemptions? Should we call the entire
conservative movement into question over this compromise? Of course it
would be unfair to dismiss an entire movement over this disagreement
just as it is unfair for Mohler to dismiss the libertarian movement over
disagreements on abortion. Libertarian and conservative Christians
enjoy tremendous common ground on this issue. We ought to celebrate that
fact and cooperate in our common cause.

There is much more to be said
about the issues touched upon in the debate between Drs. Mohler and
Horn. Other articles from my colleagues at LCI and elsewhere will be
forthcoming. In the meantime, I would encourage Dr. Mohler to take a
second look at what libertarian Christians actuallybelieve.
Mohler considers libertarianism to be a fringe movement forever
condemned to irrelevance. But to the contrary, right now more and more
of his politically conservative brothers and sisters in Christ are
switching sides to libertarianism. Christian libertarians have plenty to
say about the deficiencies of Mohler’s conservative movement from a biblical worldview.
Perhaps as we debate the merits of our respective political movements
we can approach it knowing that iron sharpens iron, and so one man
sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17) rather than as a fight between those who hold to a biblical worldview and those who do not.

Jeff Wright, Jr.is a Chaplain in a "city of lost souls" and holds a Master of
Theology (ThM) from Dallas Theological Seminary. His other areas of
interest include the kingdom of God, American evangelicalism, the
ministry of the local church, obstacle course racing, and all things
Star Wars. He blogs at JeffWrightJr.com and the Libertarian Christian Institute. You can also find him @jeffwrightjr.

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Beloved child of God. Following Jesus the Christ. Allied with the uniquely beautiful kingdom of God. Prison Pastor, City of Crying Souls. *All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official positions or views of my employer, my church, or anyone else.